The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is there to guard all of us being taken advantage of financially. Turns out, one group that needs extra protection in that arena: those who protect our whole nation -- U.S. service members and their families. And Holly Petraeus is going to make sure they get it.

Major League Baseball's lineup of freebies often includes the wacky or the worthless, but one team got it just right this week. The Los Angeles Dodgers will give any member of the U.S. military -- active or retired -- two free tickets to any of its home games in May.

Everywhere you turn, it seems like companies are offering military discounts. Some of these deals are outstanding while others are scams, but the best deal may be one offered by the military itself. Here's a brief guide to the savings opportunities offered to service members and their families.

About 1.5 million of nearly 22 million troops who have served are women. But recent military conflicts, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan, show that upon returning home, female veterans don't always get the support they need to reintegrate into society.

The Ninth Circuit Appeals Court that put the decision ordering the military to stop enforcing "Don't Ask Don't Tell" on hold is a brief win for the government. But don't assume it means the policy will survive: The stay just means that the judges want time to think.

Unlike the military base closures that occurred in the 1990s, the 20 bases that the government is scheduled to close next year come at a time of great economic uncertainty. Not only will the closures take a toll on already-suffering local economies but it could also send real estate markets in those areas spiraling further downward.

The U.S. will close 20 major military bases by September 2011. What happens then depends on the base's location. But the ripple effect is always felt throughout the surrounding area. And often, families lose neighbors, businesses lose customers, and workers lose jobs.

The Defense Department announced Thursday that Raytheon received an order from the Naval Air Systems Command for aircraft weapons systems worth about $9 million, and Boeing received a $25 million modification to an existing contract.